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1) CB - It's looking more and more like the FO made the wrong decision on which guy to franchise tag and try to get a deal done with between Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins. Two tags and still no long term deal for Trumaine. And if a Wade Phillips defense works the way a Wade Phillips defense generally does, I wouldn't be surprised to see him run to the highest bidder in FA.

2) EDGE/OLB - Conor Barwin is a good fit but likely not more than a 1 or 2 year stop-gap and there isn't much behind him opposite Quinn. Depending on where the Rams are drafting in the round this could be the first need off the board though due to premium of blue chip pass-rushers.

3) OT - Specifically LOT of the future. There's every reason to believe they're counting on Whitworth for more than one year with the contract they gave him. But they moved 2016's starting RT in to guard and have replaced him with Jamon Brown who is something of an unknown commodity at tackle. Could definitely see the team trying to get LT right this time and apprenticing someone at RT before shifting him over to be Whit's successor.

4) C - It was a position I figured Kromer would have pushed for a better upgrade than John Sullivan this past offseason, but alas. Thing is, I believe he prefers a very specific type of center, so this isn't the sort of thing where you can just plug and play any ol' good-but-undersized college center.

5) WR - Sounds weird to say with the offseason that just went down, but if Tavon craps out in the role McVay has envisioned for him, I could certainly see the team taking fliers on some lottery tickets that have WR1 traits but need legitimate polish.

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OT: RT is still a question mark and LT is a need as Duane Brown gets older. It's bang for buck, as the Texans won't have a pick in the top 64

S: Kareem Jackson is apparently going to be a roving DB who rotates between CB and S based on down/distance/formation situation. Andre Hal is a bit of a liability at FS, and an upgrade would be necessary.

OLB: Whitney Mercilius is a very well rounded OLB, but he's complimented on the outside by Brendan Scarlett, who is a ST body at most. To round out this front seven, they'll need another OLB type.

OG: Jeff Allen is looking like a waste of FA dollars, and Xavier Sua Filo is best known for not being Derek Carr or Jimmy Garropolo. Greg Mancz or Nick Martin could fill in to one if the G spots, and David Quessenberry could be a feel good story if he could recover from cancer and contribute, but looking into this spot could be required.

CB: Kevin Johnson is young, but returning from injury. Jonathan Joseph is usually nicked up and play might be declining soon. Rest of depth is several UDFAs and rookie Tristan DeCoud. This actually might rank higher, depending on how well Johnson returns from injury.

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1. CB - Oh my goodness do we have a pile of feces stacked 5'9" at this position. Our starting corners at this time are Jalen "Burnt Toast" Mills, and a low end Free Agency pick up in Patrick Robinson. There are some interesting rookies in Sidney Rice (who's coming off of a critical injury next year) and Rasul Douglas who's probably the oldest son of LaVar Ball.

2. OT - Whether or not Peters is still here in 2018 isn't a forgone conclusion after his contract rework, but none the less when he leaves we have Lane Johnson moving over to LT, that's fine. Big V (Vaitai) looks to be playing RT at that point, and right now is solid depth, but after Peters is gone, we have 0 depth as this position and it's a scary thought.

3. OLB - It's pretty well known that Mychal Kendricks isn't really gelling well with the Pederson regime. Nigel Bradham across from him is decent, but there's no depth and Kendricks could be gone before the 2018 Draft.

4. RB - Darren Sproles is retiring next year and I have a gut feeling we won't be seeing LeGarrette Blount past his one year deal. That leaves us with a 4th round Rookie Donnell Pumphrey and Wendell Smallwood, they're both serviceable I suppose but far from workhorses and superstars.

5. Safety - Malcolm Jenkins is starting to get up there in age, the leader of the defense for us yes but in this day and age who knows how long he'll be here before the team makes a business decision to go in another direction. Depth leaves much to be desired as well.

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Safety: Starters Kurt Coleman and Mike Adams are solid but are 29 and 36 respectively. The team has some hopes for Dean Marlowe, but this is a position that could use an infusion of young talent. However, I believe former GM Dave Gettleman's philosophy was you can sign cheap FA's and be fine at safety, we'll see what the new GM thinks.

Defensive End: Like safety, Panthers are getting long in the tooth there with Charles Johnson (31), Julius Peppers (37) as starters. Mario Addison as 3rd DE is 29 should provide good value for that role for the next couple of seasons. Panthers did draft Daeshon Hall in the 3rd round in 2017 and have some other depth (Horton, Webster, Delaire), but more youth and pass rush need to be added here.

Offensive Tackle: Hopefully Matt Kalil is the answer at LT for years to come, but that's still a question mark. Daryl Williams and 2017 2nd round pick Taylor Moton should compete at RT with Williams having a leg up, as of this writing. This position COULD be off this list if Kalil and one of Williams or Moton perform up to their draft pick status.

Wide Reciever: Like OT, this is a swing position as to how the season goes for the Panthers in 2017. If Benjamin and Funchess (like the tackle duo) live up to their potential, this could be a big year, but there's an equal chance they flame out and the team is looking for 1 or 2 outside WR's next year. Panthers have decent depth there with the additions of Russell Sheppard and Charles Johnson, but neither is close to being a #1 nor #2 WR. I didn't include 2nd round pick Curtis Samuel in this as he should be mainly a slot WR, while the need would be for outside WR.

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Chris Ballard has stated that competition is always going to be a priority.

1) Pass Rusher - We completely revamped our OLB corp. But realistically John Simon isn't going to be a pass rusher as much as a strong side LB. Jabal Sheard can pass rush but is more a run defender. Tarell Basham could be a good pass rusher in the future. After them the only guys on the roster are Akeem Ayers, LaVar Edwards and Barkevious Mingo

2) Running Back - Frank Gore is 34 and entering a contract year. We need a big back to pare with a speedy Marlon Mack and Robert Turbin the receiving back

3) ILB - I really like Anthony Walker and hope Sean Spence or Jon Bostic can make an impact for us. But I think we still need another ILB for the future.

4) CB - Vontae Davis is entering a contract year. We should re-sign him again but his play this year needs to improve. 2nd Rder Quincy Wilson should start as a third or fourth CB but needs to become that outside starter by years end. Rashaan Melvin is expected to start opposite Davis to start the season and Darryl Morris looks to be ahead of Wilson for now.

5) OL - Second year guys Joe Haeg and La'Raven Clark are penciled in as the starters on the right side. The OLs late season performance as well as a very promising off season program is the reason why OL wasn't taken until Round 4.

2. DE - We landed Johnathan Allen this year but need a quality player across from him. I'm not a big believer in Terrell McClain.

3. LG - Shawn Lauvao is not very good and will be a FA after this year. Arie Kouandjio hasn't proven to be more than a backup.

4. NT - Stacey McGee will try to fill this hole this year, but he's not the traditional size of a 3-4 NT and I'm not entirely sold.

5. MLB - We have Zach Brown signed to a 1-year deal, if he shines he might be back. But Mason Foster needs to be replaced regardless. We could need 2 MLBs if Brown busts.

6. HB - I have high hopes for Samaje Perine and Rob Kelley is solid but we lack a stud starter here.

7. WR - Terrelle Pryor is on a 1-year contract and Josh Doctson is still an unknown. If Pryor leaves or either busts we'd need a true #1 WR, this need could be much higher if things go bad.

I think you forgot:
0. A competent GM.

I'd argue LG is a bit of a bigger need than DE (especially if Long leaves), but I'm with you in not considering McClain or McGee as anything more than band-aids. For anyone doing a mock, projecting an interior offensive lineman or defensive lineman is probably a safe and smart call ... unless Cousins walks.